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The Last Day of August

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After yesterday’s sunshine, we knew it was going to rain today, and it did. Having said ‘Goodbye’ to our daughter and grandson after their stay, I went for an amble round the garden to see what was going on out there. A bit damp, but never mind. It was an interesting few minutes. I found some flowers appearing that show that autumn is well and truly on its way. My Cyclamen hederifolium are in flower.

And the Parthenocissus on the stream wall has really changed colour in the last few days. It positively glows!

My Clematis tangutica has flowers and seedheads at the same time. I love the silky seedheads, I actually prefer them to the flowers. This Clematis really is a thug. I have three in the garden and cut them back to the ground each spring. They grow at such a rate each year! Unbelievable!

One of my Viburnum tinus has its first flower cluster. These shrubs will be in flower for many months now they’ve started. I wouldn’t be without them in the garden.

I found some wildlife – a squirrel ran across the grass but I wasn’t quick enough to take his photo. It is very unusual to see one in the garden, I’m glad to say! There have been a lot of birds on the bird table. We even had a Goldfinch this week! Our first. Here’s a Chaffinch happily having his lunch.

I also spotted a large bee deep inside a Hollyhock flower. He was rolling around in there getting covered in pollen for several minutes. He looked drunk and I don’t know how he’ll fly in the state he was in!

There are also quite a number of summer flowers still in bloom. This Cistus ‘Silver Pink’ has flowered on and off right through since the spring. I think that this will be the last time for this year, though.

The Godetias are still giving me great pleasure – more opened their bright flowers to greet the sun yesterday. This plant is the most unusually patterned one that has flowered. It’s almost like a flag!

I was not accompanied on my amble by my furry friend, though. He is feeling very sorry for himself and has been lying under the desk most of the day. He can’t work out how to lie down and then how to get back up again. Poor Henry. We laid a rug across the gravel so that he could hobble across onto the grass.

Let’s not end on a sad note. though! How about a different flower that I’ve grown from seed this year – the first Cleome has opened and it’s a white one. There are buds on some of the others, and they will be different colours. How strange that the stalks are so prickly – it doesn’t stop caterpillars from eating the leaves, though!

And my large blue tub which has bloomed for so long is still in good shape with plenty of flowers to give me pleasure.

I hope you enjoyed my amble round the garden. Tomorrow it will be September and I know we are all hoping for an Indian Summer – well, we can hope, can’t we?

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Comments

 

what lovely photos! My clematis is matching yours! Love the cyclamens too - they make me smile. It's sad when family leave isn't it - grown-up children come and go don,t they? No grandchildren for me yet but I've six adult children that have all made an appearance throughout the summer hols! Christmas will soon be here for a real get together this year. My partner won,t know what,s hit him! Sunny afternoon and evening here so been sitting outside reading and just enjoying the peace of my garden. Roger wasting this sun watching football again!!

31 Aug, 2008

 

here's hoping we've had grey and drizzle all afternoon and this morning held so much promise shame. Your garden looks wonderful losts of colour. whats the matter with your furry friend don't mean to pry just always concerned regards furrys. Hope he ok and you of course. :')

31 Aug, 2008

 

Not at all. We took our visitors to the beach and Henry got too excited playing with my grandson and ran about on the stony beach. He ended up skinning all four paws. He is very sorry for himself today and can hardly walk. :-(

31 Aug, 2008

 

Enjoyed that looking round your garden, mind you i always enjoy it, i've had quite a few goldfinches this year, mind you i've been putting niger seed out for them.

31 Aug, 2008

 

I hope we have a better autumn than summer. It's one of my favourite seasons.
I enjoyed your garden as usual Spritzhenry. Thanks.
Best wishes, Hywel.

31 Aug, 2008

 

Thank you for the lovely photographic tour Spritz.
The signs of an early autumn are certainly with us now. Poor Henry, it must be very uncomfortable for him.

Alan suggests some special soft padded 'doggy boots' for him to wear!
Hope his paws are more comfortable soon. He looks very fed up in your photo!

31 Aug, 2008

 

It was a very enjoyable amble round your garden Spritz. I can't believe that tomorrow is the first of September. There are many signs of autumn here as well and as Grenville mentioned it looks like an early one. Many of the maples are already starting to turn color which is quite earlier than normal. With all this strange weather that we have all been having around the world we are soon going to be wondering what normal is. The colors should be fantastic this year because of all the rain that we've had. As sad as I am to see the garden starting to die back, I do love the fall season.

31 Aug, 2008

 

LOL Spritz! I can just imagine all the bees coming back drunk to the hive - wonder if they get hang-overs?

1 Sep, 2008

 

I am not at all sure that he could even take off, he was so covered in pollen! I'll have to see if he's still there....oh, no, I forgot, it rained again, so he'll have had a bath. LOL.

1 Sep, 2008

 

very nice blog and nice pics too. poor henry looks fed up though. reminds me of lassie when i have a job to do and shes fed up waiting for me to finish so we can go out

1 Sep, 2008

 

Poor thing sounds sore you'll have to get him some wellies for next time. hope he feels better soon. their good at sulking when feeling sorry for themselves scooby's a master.

2 Sep, 2008

 

He doesn't usually sulk - being a Lab, he is so good-natured and waggy! I really miss his tail going all the time. He is making me feel SOOO guilty with his sad brown eyes!

2 Sep, 2008

 

Henry's enjoyment of the beach reminds me of my sister's dog Duffy...he would run on the beach for hours chasing the gulls...and limp home with raw toes. Poor fellow he came to enjoy foot baths and my sister's family curtailed his fun before he made himself too sore, but even so those gulls always called him back. lol... I'm enjoying your garden pics very much... like the closeups but also enjoy the long shots of your garden...Pats to Henry...

2 Sep, 2008

 

Bless him he'll bounce back quick i'm sure. Labs could win prizes at sad eye.

3 Sep, 2008

 

Lovely blog Spritz. Your flowers are all beautiful.

3 Sep, 2008

 

Oh Spritzhenry,
What a lovely walk around you yard. You sure have some incredibly unique plants. We only have one grandchild and his name is Kody. He lives in Los Angeles while we live near Seattle, so don't get to see him much. He loves plants and insects and he spent 3 weeks with us and we had a ball. Here he is with my best pal Rusty (long hair dachshund). Kody is 7 now.
Harli

http://imgs.inkfrog.com/pix/Harli/KODY_AND_RUSTY2.jpg

4 Sep, 2008

amy
Amy
 

I really enjoyed the walk round your garden Spritz.
The colour of the godetias is fabulous , and I have to say your grandson must be better trained than ours because they arrived for 10 days with SWORDS they are into pirates and I can,t tell you how many flowers had been beheaded , they did enjoy themselves though .
I do hope Henry has recovered by now :D

4 Sep, 2008

 

Lovely tour Spritz, and poor Henry - I hope he recovers soon. My Cistus has been on and off this year too, I keep walking past it to find one or two more flowers showing.

4 Sep, 2008

 

This was great to read, Spritz, and what lovely pics. There is definitely a "wee nip in the air" early morning here now when I leave for work, but we here get quite excited about Autumn. My wife and I love the colours to bits. The children know that it will soon be their birthdays ( both October; our daughter was born on mine, so have gracefully stopped ageng in favour of her, lol!). I always wanted a Virginia creeper and a Viburnum tinus or two. perhaps I'll get them for the new home.

4 Sep, 2008

 

Just enjoyed a stroll with you in your garden Spritz,and Hendry up and about soon.

She certainly starting to feel the chill now .

No summer straight in to Autumn.

7 Sep, 2008

 

A very enjoyable trip around your garden, great to see the lovely plants in their glowing autumn colours, the virginia creeper is always a joy to see, just wish I had room for one. Hope Henry is back to his old self again despite his his injuries I bet he had a wonderful time with your grandson.

I am really glad to see the back of August cant remember one as wet before, a real wash out, however as I type the rain is bouncing down outside, hope this is not a sgn of things to come.

7 Sep, 2008

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